FIRST MINISTER Alex Salmond yesterday admitted using wrong statistics for the second time in a week.

It emerged that he misled MSPs about the number of Scots employed in the renewable energy industry during First Minister’s Questions last month.

The revelation came days after Salmond and Education Secretary Mike Russell both had to apologise for using incorrect budget figures to claim there had been no cuts to college funding.

The latest about-turn came after a parliamentary exchange with Tory MSP Liz Smith on October 25 in which he said 18,000 people worked in ­renewable energy across Scotland.

Salmond’s deputy private secretary wrote to parliament bosses on November 15 to tell them the true figure was 11,000.

Labour MSP Richard Baker said: “It appears Alex Salmond lies instinctively. He doesn’t even apologise, he just gets the Tipp-Ex out and changes the official record.”

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said the SNP administration was looking increasingly “incompetent”, adding: “This is the second time in less than a week that Alex Salmond has been parading dodgy figures to parliament.”

Smith said: “How can the First Minister, who is urging the people to vote for independence, possibly expect them to trust him when he gets so many facts blatantly wrong?

“His actions this week are not those of a competent and ­credible First Minister.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The First Minister has corrected the parliament’s official report to make it clear there are 11,000 jobs supported by Scotland’s renewable energy sector.”